Semicon India 2025: AI can transform semiconductor ops, says industry

At Semicon India 2025, industry leaders said AI is reshaping semiconductors by enabling predictive maintenance, boosting efficiency and driving innovation in smart devices

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful catalyst for enhancing semiconductor efficiency and streamlining industry operations, marking a shift towards smarter manufacturing and design processes, industry representatives said during a panel discussion at Semicon India 2025 on Tuesday.   Ankush Oberoi, chief executive officer of Levorro, said the semiconductor manufacturing process is highly complex and the tools required are expensive. “It is critical that the tools keep running and do not suffer faults or downtime. The only way to achieve this is to use AI to make the process predictive and transform manufacturing from reactive to proactive,” he said.   Sharing an example, he added, “Imagine if software can tell that a tool is going to fail in a few minutes, and identify the part of the tool that will fail. Companies can then proactively plan what to do next. This is huge because it directly drives productivity.”   Rahul Sharma, co-founder of Micromax, highlighted how AI can make consumer appliances smarter and futuristic. He cited the example of a possible product such as a stick with a single button that, when pressed, could recognise and respond to a user’s voice.   “Imagine the stick is connected to all devices with access to phone, email and calendar, and acts like a personal assistant. It could trigger several apps without manual intervention, such as booking cabs or ordering food. This kind of innovation is happening and we will actually see it coming this year itself,” he said.   Sanjay Lodha, chief executive officer of NetWeb Technologies, said his company focuses on high-end compute systems and is integrating AI into its offerings. “We design and manufacture all high-end servers and workstations. It is very important for a country to have its own complete infrastructure and the ability to deliver hardware along with software. Currently, India not only consumes AI but also manufactures AI,” he said.